Example embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a printing device and a method of fabricating the same, and in particular, to a large-area nano-scale active printing device, a fabricating method of the same, and a printing method using the same.
In a printed electronics technology, a printing process is used to form an electronic device, part, or module. In other words, electronic devices are made of a conductive ink or a functional ink. The conductive ink or the functional ink is printed on a substrate (e.g., of plastic, paper, glass, or silicon) to form a three-dimensional structure. The printed electronics technology provides several technical advantages. For example, a large area printing can be realized using a low cost, low temperature, high speed, eco-friendly process. Further, cost-effective and flexible products can be manufactured using the printed electronics technology.
However, the printed electronics technology suffers from low performance and low integration density, which result from limitations in material and process. Although nano-scale printing technologies, such as a nano-imprinting method, an electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing method, a micro-imprinting method, and a micro-molding method, have been suggested, further study is needed to realize a nano-scale large-area printing with high performance.
Alternatively, an electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing process or an electro-spinning process has been proposed. This process makes it possible to form organic or inorganic wires having a thickness of μm-order, without additional pattering process. However, according to the conventional electro-spinning process, there is a difficulty in realizing a large-area high-performance printing, as the result of the use of nozzle.